Tenderloin Health Clinic patients will keep services after closure

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The Tenderloin Health Clinic, which serves 3,000 poor and homeless San Francisco residents, is closing due to funding shortfalls.

Two months after the Tenderloin Health Clinic announced its impending closure, the Department of Public Health has assembled a plan for the 3,000 poor and homeless San Franciscans who use its services.

The clinic — which provides health care, HIV prevention and housing assistance services — said in January funding shortfalls were forcing it to close. The fate of the clinic’s clients, many of whom have HIV or AIDS, had remained uncertain until Friday’s announcement.

“We have worked for the last several months with [the clinic] seeking merger potentials and other funding options that did not come to fruition,” Barbara Garcia, The City’s director of health, said in a statement.

The clinic will continue operating until April 6, the health department said. Over the next month, services that were funded by The City will be handled by other community-based organizations.

The Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center will assume care for people with HIV or AIDS. Lutheran Social Services will be in charge of housing assistance. And HIV prevention efforts will be taken over by city-funded programs, including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Patients who currently see their doctor or dentist at the clinic’s Golden Gate Avenue storefronts will continue to do so, the health department said. The new providers are looking into whether they can employ Tenderloin Health’s staff.